Joist hanger



May 29, 1962 R. J. FINDLETON JOIST HANGER Filed May 51, 1957 4Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

ROLAND JAMES F/NDLE TON ATTORNEY May 29, 1962 R. J. FINDLETON JOISTHANGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 51, .1957

||||| Ill/ INVENTO ROLAND JAMES F/NDLE ATTORNEY May 29, 1962 R. J.FINDLETON I 3,036,347.

JOIST HANGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 31, 1957 INVRNTOR' RONALD JAMESF/NDLETO/V BY 60 a ATTORNEY May 29, 1962 R. J. FINDLETON 3,035,347

' JOISTHANGER Fiied May 51, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

A T TORIVEY- RONALD JAME FIND E7'0/V BY 6 I United States Patent3,636,347 JOIST HANGER Ronald James Findleton, Lafayette, Calif.,assignor t0 Easybow Engineering 8: Research (30., Oakland, Calif., acorporation of California Filed May 31, 1957, Ser. No. 663,331 3 Claims.(Cl. 20--94) :This invention relates to an improved structure forconnecting joists to beams. It also relates to an improve-d joist hangerfor connecting one or a pair of generally horizontal joists to agenerally horizontal beam, with the joists running perpendicularly tothe beam. This application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier-filedcopending application, Serial No. 442,799, filed July 12, 1954, nowabandoned.

By means of a novel structural configuration the present inventionobtains an extraordinary strength-per-weight factor. Actual tests haveshown my new joist hanger capable of handling loads up to twice as greatas comparable, high-quality prior-art hangers weighing three times asmuchin other words, this new joist hanger has about six times as muchstrength per weight as standard hangers on the market heretofore.

.By providing a new shape incorporating a channel enclosed by metal onthree sides and an integral seat closing the lower end of the channel,my new joist hanger gives greatly improved performance at greatlyreduced costs. My new joist hanger is a one-piece, die-stamped sheetsheel member. It is as strong as castings many times as heavy and ismuch stronger than other hangers made from much heavier gauge sheetsteel. As a result, and since steel is sold by weight, my new hanger ismuch less expensive in material cost as well as being cheaper to shipand easier to handle.

Another unusual feature of my invention is its nearly perfectdimensional stability. Where other hangers have lines that are notparallel to start with or, if they are, some get out of parallel, theside walls of the channel of my hanger stay parallel even when subjectedto considerable abuse. Where other hangers get out of shape, my joisthanger holds its shape. In some hangers, the joist can rattle at the topafter installation, but not in mine. As a result, this hanger provides areliable mass-produced article.

Another outstanding feature of my invention is its adaptability to bothwooden and metal beams. In its preferred form it has a portion restingon the beam and secured to it solely to prevent lateral slipping, eitherby nailing it to a wooden beam or by welding it to a metal beam.

In most of the joist hangers and joist connections heretofore in usewith wooden beams, great reliance has been placed on the shear-strengthof nails to support the joists, and the result has been relatively weakconstruction that has frequently failed. The present invention hassolved this problem by providing a joist hanger that extends over andrests upon the beam and has a pair of pockets at each side in which thejoists fit, so that practically no reliance is placed on the shearstrength of nails. With metal beams, no reliance is placed on the shearstrength of the weld, which can be direct to the beam.

Another problem presented by joist hangers of the past has been thatpresented by the twisting or rotation of the joist after it was put inplace. There are many factors that may cause rotation. One factor is thenatural tendency of unseasoned wood to twist as it dries out. Anotherfactor is that many joists are already bowed when they are installed,usually caused by faulty drying. Such bowed joists are already eccentricand when weight is applied, naturally tend to rotate. Whatever the causemay be, once rotation begins, the weight on the joist ag- 3,036,347Patented May 29, 1962 gravates the torsional moment and in many casescauses the joist to give way. Although a straight, unbowed, wellseasonedjoist will not rotate if it is placed perfectly vertically, it is rareto find such a joist. Therefore, in a preferred form of my invention -1have provided means for preventing joist rotation.

In the past there have been a number of attempts to solve this problemof joist rotation but none of them have been satisfactory. One prior-artmethod for preventing rotation was called blocking because wooden blockswere nailed into the beam on either side of the joist. This involved agreat deal of carpenters time and meant that there was no protectionagainst rotation until after the blocks were in place.

Another method of meeting the problem was called toe-nailing, because anail Was hammered down through the top of the joist and into the beam atapproximately a 45 angle. This meant that the strength of that nail wasall that prevented rotation, and while it might prevent rotation for ashort time, over a longer period it has been proved that this toenailingwas not reliable. When the torsional moment became very great, thetoenail gave way. Another disadvantage of toenailing was that it tookconsiderable skill on the part of the carpenter. An unskilled carpenterattempting to put in such a toenail oftentimes would split the joist orput the nail in at such an angle that it would be almost useless.

Without examining the other prior-art methods used in an attempt to meetthe natural twisting tendency of the joist and the rotation of a bowedjoist caused by the improper bearing or relationship between the top andbottom of the joist, it will be noted that they generally involved aseparate operation from that of placing the joist itself in position. Inall cases much time and labor was wasted.

With the tabs which are incorporated in the preferred embodiment of myinvention, the bearing of the upper portion of the joist with the seatof the hanger is established immediately upon the installation of thejoist into the hanger. A load can be placed immediately upon the joist,and there is no possibility of rotation even though an imperfect joistof the unseasoned or bowed variety is used.

Another problem, which has been solved by my invention, was also causedby the shrinkage of joists. Almost all wood shrinks as it dries,especially when green lumber is used. Here again, no problem would bepresented if all the Wood were properly seasoned, but unformtunatelymost woods used in construction today are not.

For example, take Douglas fir. It shrinks approximately 4% of its depth,or /s of an inch in a joist which is 10 inches deep. If such a Douglasfir joist were set on a joist hanger and toenailed in, the joist wouldbe lifted up off its vertical supporting member as it shrank. Then thejoist would no longer be resting upon a block or a seat but would beheld by the toenail alone. Once the toenail failed, the joist would dropdown on the block or other holding means. When that happened, therewould be vertical support again, but no means of preventing the joistfrom twisting. My invention also solves this problem. Shrinkage merelycauses the joist to shrink down into the seat, where it is held firmlyat all times against rotation and also is always supported by my joisthanger.

Heretofore, the erection of joists has been :a relatively slowoperation, but the present invention speeds up the construction work,because the joist hanger is quickly put into position on the beam, andit is provided with a twisted side flange that helps to guide the joistsinto their seat or pocket. In a preferred form of the invention, thereare offset tabs which also help to guide the joist into a truly verticalposition. Only a small numtion, extending down on the face of the beam.This depending side portion is provided with a channeled seat her ofnails are used, and these merely for holdingthe hanger in place and notto support the joist. These nails are easily hammered in because theirproper locations are indicated by openings punched out through thehanger.

This invention reduces the cost of construction in at least three ways.First, by reducing the time to erect the joists, it reduces the laborcosts, especially in the form of the invention Where each hangersupports two joists. Second, time is saved by eliminating a separateoperation required in the prior art, where the workman either had tonail blocks in place or place a toenail to give lateral support to thejoists and prevent rotation or twisting of the joist. The presentinvention includes means giving this lateral support from the moment thejoist is installed. Third, the material cost of the hanger itself isbetween one-half and one-quarter that of comparable joist hangersheretofore in use. My new hanger can be constructed from a single stripof galvanized sheet iron (or other sheet metal), bent and spot welded,or bent and drawn into shape. The use of this inexpensive material alsomakes it possible to shape the hanger with light machine dies instead ofthe heavy presses that have been required to manufacture the joisthangers heretofore known.

The joist hanger of this invention is also unusually strong, bothrelatively as to its cost and weight .and absolutely. Its backreinforces and stiffens the joist seat or pocket so that in actual teststhe hanger did not fail until subjected to pressures five times thedesign load. My new joist hanger comprises a single unitary sheet metalstrip punched for naiLreceiving openings, and in most forms the strip isbent to provide a top portion that fits over the beam and a depending.vertical poror pocket at its lower end and with a curved twisted sidemargin that aids'in guiding the joist into its seat.

- In a preferred form of the invention, there arealso two tabs parallelwith the channel and slightly below the top horizontalportion, one tabbeing slightly lower than the other. In addition to the advantages ofthese tabs that have alreadybeen discussed, they give protection againstearthquake, wind, and other forces acting in shear between the beam andthe joist, for they act as transfer bearings for shear parallel to thebeam.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments thereof in accordancewith 35 U.S.C. 112.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a joist hanger embodying some of theprinciples of this invention,

FIG. 2' is a view in perspective of the joist hanger of vFIG. 1installed on a beam' and with the joist in place.

Both the beam and the joists have been cut off in order to conservespace.

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation and in Section of the installedconnection, taken perpendicular to the beam and parallel to the joists.

FIG. 4 is a View in elevation and in section taken parallel to the beamand perpendicular to the joists.

FIG. '5 is a view in perspective of a modified form of joist hangerembodying the principles of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a view'in perspective of the joist hanger'of FIG. installed ona beam and with two joists in place.

Both the beam and the joists have been cut oifin order to conservespace. V 7

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective of another modified form of joist hangerof this invention, similar to that of FIG. 5 except that it supportsonly one joist.

.7 FIG. 8 is a view in perspective of the joist .hangerof 7 Both thebeam and the joist have been cut on? FIG. 7 installed on abeam and withthe single joist in" place. in order to conserve space.

FIG. 9 is a view in elevation and in section of the in stallation ofFIG. 8 taken parallel to the beam and perpendicular to the joist. Thebeam has been cut off in order to conserve space.

FIG. 10 is a view in elevation of a blank from which the joist hanger ofFIG. 7 is made.

FIG. 11 is a view in perspective of another modified form of joisthanger that can be made from the blank of FIG. 10, for use whereinstallation over the beam is impractical.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the hanger of FIG. 7, shown installedon a metal I-bearn.

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 showing the hanger of FIG. 5installed on a metal I-beam.

The joist hanger 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4 is secured to a generallyhorizontal beam 7 to provide a connec tion for a pair of generallyhorizontal joists 8 and 9. The beam 7 may be slightly curved and neednot be exactly horizontal, for the hanger 10 can be used to connect thejoists 8 and 9 that extend between the curved upper chords of abowstring truss, the joists then being horizontal but tilted slightlyfrom the vertical.

The joist hanger 10 shown in the drawings may be and preferably is madefrom a single piece of sheet metal, such as galvanized sheet iron, andmay be formed into shape by light machine dies. Each hanger 10 isadapted to support two joists 8 and 9; where only one joist is to beconnected, as on an end of a building, the other side of the hanger 10need not be used; it can be left there or it can be removed wholly orpartly, as by cutting it off or by making it single in the first place.This will be described in connection with FIGS. 6-10.

In general, the hanger 10 includes a horizontal top plate or centralportion 11 and a pair of depending vertical side plates or portions 12and 13, one at each end of the central portion 11 and perpendicularthereto at the corners 14 and 15. The top plate 11 is planar and restshori zontally on the top face 16 of the beam 7 as shown in the drawings.It does not need to be provided with nail holes or other openings,though it may be, if desired (of. FIG. 7).

Each side plate 12 or 13 abuts a side face 17 or 18 of the beam 7 andhas four zones or portions. The uppermost of these is a generally planarvertical portion 20 that extends down about /3 or A of the height of theplate 12 or 1-3. The planar portion 20 adjoins and blends into anintermediate twist portion 21 immediately beneath it, which in turnleads, into a channeled portion 22 that terminates in the joist seat orpocket 23 at the bottom of the plate 12 or 13. V

, The channel portion 22 may be provided by bending the outer margins 24and 25 of the plate 12 or 13 outwardly so that they are perpendicular tothe middle portion 26 thereof. In between the channel portion 22 and theupper planar portion 20, the side margins 27, 28 of the intermediateportion 21 curve out in a kind of twist, so that their upper ends areco-plan-ar with the portion 20, and their lower ends blend into theperpendicular channel sides 24 and 25. This curved or twist portion 21greatly strengthens the hanger and also serves to aid in locating thejoist 8 or9 in position by guiding it into the lower pocket portions-23.j

'The pocket or joist seat 23'is at the lowermost end of each side plate12 or 13 and is provided with a bentout floor or horizontal seat 30 thatis perpendicular to the remainder of the side plate 12 or 13. Thus, theseat 30 is generally parallel to the top plate 11 of the hanger 10, andits side margins 31, 32 are bent perpendicular upwardly to form achannel, as shown. The margins 31, 32 can be spot welded at 33, 34 tothe channel sides 24, 25, respectively. However, instead of spotwelding, the pocket'23 may be formed (of. FIG. 5) or drawn; in manyinstances forming may be preferred, whereas in other instances thespot-weld construction has advantages.

The pocket 23 serves to hold the joist 8 or 9 in position and supportit. The main resolution of the downward force of the joist 8 or 9 isthrough the joist hanger 10 to the top plate 11 and thus to the beam 7.The entire thickness of the beam 7 is utilized, since the joist-hangerface 11 rests on top of the beam 7, and no reliance there is made onnails, which are used at the most simply to hold the hanger 10 inposition on the beam 7 and to hold the joists 8 and 9 in position on thehanger 10 with respect to the beam 7.

Nailing is made possible by punching out openings in the side plates 12and 13. The upper portion of each plate 12 or 13 may have a pair of nailopenings and 41, one in each side margin so that they are beyond thearea covered by the joist 8 or 9. Through these, nails 42 and 43 may bedriven into the beam 7. Since reliance is not being made on the shearstrength of the nails, it is not necessary to use large nails. Usuallyshort nails having a diameter about the same as 8d nails are used, andin many installations one nail may be suflicient here.

The upper plate portion 20 also has a centrally located, preferablyoval-shaped opening 44 much larger than the other nail openings, so thata toenail 45 may be driven through the joist 8 or 9 into the beam 7,thereby providing a direct nailed connection between the beam 7 and eachjoist 8, 9. Many carpenters may prefer this toenailing as a means ofpreventing rotation of the joist, but others will prefer the modifiedform shown in FIGS. 5-11 and de scribed later.

In the channel portion 22 of the plates 12, 13, a nail hole 46 ispreferably provided in the middle area 26, and through this a thirdshort nail 47 may be driven into the beam 7. The nail 47, if used, must,of course, be driven in before the joist 8 or 9 is set in place; in factall three of the nails '42, 43, and 47 that are used are usually drivenin as soon as the hanger 10 is located on the beam 7, so that the joisthanger 10 will not move while the joist 8 or 9 is being put in place.

After the joist hanger 10 has been placed over the beam 7 and the threenails 42, 43, and 47 hammered in through each side plate 12 and 13, thejoists 8 and 9 are put in position. In each instance this is done bylifting the end of the joist 8 or 9. above the twist portion 21 and thenutilizing the curved shoulders 27 and 28 to guide the joist down intothe pocket 23. Then a pair of nails 50, 51 may be driven into the joist8 or 9 through openings 52, 53 in the outer flanges 24, 25. v

To summarize the installation of joists utilizing the structure shown inFIGS. 1-4, the joist hanger 10 is first placed over the beam 7, with itstop plate 11 resting on the beams top face 16 and its side plates 12 and13 resting against the beams side faces 17 and 18. When the hanger 10 islocated in the exact position desired, it is secured there by the nails42, 43, and 47. Then each joist 8 and 9 is guided into its pocket 23 onits side portion 12 or 13, by means of the curved shoulders 27, 28 ofthe twist portion 21, until the joist 8 or 9 rests on the floor 30 ofthe pocket 23 and its vertical inner end abuts the middle portion 26.The nails 50 and 51 are then driven in through the openings 52, 53',securing the joist to the hanger 10. Finally, the toenail 45 is drivenin through the joist 8 or 9, through the oval opening 44 and into thebeam '7.

Obviously, joist installation can be very rapid with this invention. Thejoist hanger 10 is quickly positioned, and once set in place itdetermines the position of the joists 8 and 9. The joists are easily setin place, due to the guiding portion 21, and few nails are required. Noreliance is made on the shear-strength of the nails, but instead thewhole body of the hinge 10 transmits the stresses of the upper face ofthe beam 7. It is also apparent that the sheet metal hanger 10 can beformed by light machine dies and can be made quickly and in quality,because no tricky types of die work are needed.

The channels 24, 25, 31, and 32 of the bottom pocket 23 give the hanger10 great strength. The rigidity of the 6 light sheet metal is more thansuflicient to transmit the stresses of the joist 8 or 9 directly to thebeam 7. In fact, my sheet metal hanger 10 is stronger than many hangersmade from heavier material.

Except for certain very important differences, the joist hanger 60 shownin FIG. 5 of the drawings is essentially the same as the hanger 10 shownin FIG. 1 and identical reference numerals are used to refer to thoseparts that are the same.

The main difference between the hanger 60 shown in FIGS. 5 through 11and the hanger 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 is the elimination oftoenailing and the direct and positive holding of the joists 8, 9against rotation. By eliminating toenailing, this form of the inventionalso solves the shrinkage problem discussed above. These importantresults are obtained by replacement of the toenail opening 44 with apair of aligning members or tabs 61, 62 in the upper planar portion 20of the hanger 60. Preferably, one tab 62 is higher than the other tab61. This not only strengthens the hanger 60 but helps when inserting thejoist 8 or 9 into the hanger 60 by guiding it first against the uppertab 62 above the tab 61 and then lowering it between the tabs 61, 62.Preferably, the tabs 61, 62 are formed as an integral part of the hanger60 by cutting along four lines and bending the metal out of the planarvertical portion 20 to a 90 angle, thus making the tabs 61 and 62 extendout parallel to channel sides 24, 25. The five-sided shape shown has theadvantage of providing relatively wide tabs tapering down and alsoenables their areas to overlap somewhat without cutting out thesupporting portion 63 between them.

The hanger 60 with the tabs 61, 62 provides much greater torsionalrigidity for the joists 8, 9 than has been the case with prior-arthangers. When the joists 8 and 9 are installed, they immediately havethe advantage of the torsional support of the tabs 61, 62, withouthaving to wait for a carpenter to block them in. Also, the tabs 61, 62give torsional support to the joists 8, 9 while and after they shrink.As was pointed out earlier, a great many woods tend to shrink unlessthey are properly dried. This shrinkage causes a toenailed joist to riseout of the seat support and to lose its vertical support until thefailure of the toenail, at which time the joist is again supportedvertically at the cost of being deprived of its lateral support. Thejoist hanger 60, by providing the lateral support without any relianceon a toenail, provides lateral support at all times without ever losingthe vertical sup port. To compensate for shrinkage the top of the joistshould extend above the top of the beam at the initial installation, sothat on shrinkage it will not sink below the top of the beam.

Joist hanger 70, shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, is similar to the hanger 60shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 except that it has only one depending verticalside plate 12. The hanger 70 is used where there is no need or room fora joist to extend over the other side of the beam, for example, on theoutside wall of the building where the joists come to an end against thewall.

Another modified form of joist hanger 80, shown in FIG. 11, may be usedwhere the top plate 11 is not able to fit over the beam or wall support.While the top plate 11 is missing, joist hanger has the other advantagesof my invention, such as the strength and rigidity of single-piececonstruction, torsional strength given by the tabs 61, 62, etc. Joisthanger 80 has two additional nail holes, 81, 82, to give it addedvertical strength, since the nails do have to support this particularform of hanger.

While the hanger 80 is the only one described that requires nailing, itis advisalble to secure hangers 10, 60, and 70' in place with at leastone nail 42 or 53 so that the hanger will not be moved during insertionof the joist end. Such movement might cause a misalignment of the joistand thereby weaken the structure.

FIG. 10 shows a blank suitable for making either joist hanger 70 01 80by forming. (The joist hanger 60 is also made from one piece, butillustration of its blank is not believed to be necessary.) I willdescribe, though not in actual order as when manufactured, how thehanger is formed from this fiat metal piece. Along the dotted line 71the top plate portion 11, which rests on the beam 7 when installed, isfolded to form a 90 angle With the depending vertical side portion 12.The tabsfil, 62 are bent out along the dotted lines 72 until they are atright angles with the planar portion 20. The twist portion 21 is formedby twisting the edges 27, 28 along dotted lines 73. Thus the upperportion of the twist is practically planar with the flat section 20,while the lowest portion of the twist ends up perpendicular to thechannel portion 26. The bottom piece '30 of the hanger, which forms thepocket or seat 23, is bent along lines 74 to a 90 angle with the channelportion 26. The side portions 31, 32 of the bottom piece 30 are bent upwhile working portions 75, 76 through the openings 77, 78. The portions75, 76 are bent to a position parallel to and flush with side portions24. 25. This single-piece construction just described makes my hangerstronger, yet cheaper, than joist hangers known heretofore.

The formed metal type of pocket 23 is illustrated in FIGS. -11, and mayhe used if preferred over the spot welding form which is shown in FIGS.14. Or drawn metal may be used, though it is not as trim looking.

While the joist hangers 60, 70, 80 are used in the same way as joisthanger (of FIGS. l-4), theinstallation varies a'little. I will usehanger 70 to describe the operation. The joist hanger 70 is placed overthe beam 7 and at least one or two of the three nails 42, 43, and 47 arehammered in through side plate 12. The joist -8 is put in position bylifting the end of the joist 8 above the-tabs 61, 62 and angling thejoist slightly in between the tabs 61, 62 and then straightening thejoist '8, using the tabs to bring the joist 8 to a generally verticalposition and then utilizing the curved shoulders 27 and 28 to guide thejoist 8 down into the pocket '23-. Then at least one of the pair ofnail's50, 51 maybe driven into the joist 8 through openings 52, 53 inthe outer flanges 24, 25. a V

The only variation when using joist hanger 80 is that r all nails 42,43, 50, 51 must be placed in order to give the hanger its full verticalstrength. I V

7 Obviously, construction can be very rapid when using this device. 'The.joisthangers 60, 70, 80 are quickly positioned and, once set in place,determine the position of the joists. The joists are easilyinstalleddueto the tabs 61, 62, the guiding portion 27, 28 and the fewnails required. No reliance is made on the shear strength of the nailsexcept in the case of joist hanger 80, buteven in this case the body ofthe joist hanger is extremely V strong. There is, with my invention, nonecessity for the separate operation of blocking. Toenailing is alsodone away with in one form of my invention.

' Tests have been performed to determine'the actual effectiveness ofhangers madevaccording to the present invention, and in every instancethey haveexceeded design expectations and calculations, showing that thecombination gives unexpected results, Comparisons have been Qmade withthe better'joist hangers heretofore known in 7 the prior art, and inevery instance the hangers of the present invention have given highlysuperior results.

For example, vertical load capacity testsand torsional moment capacitytests have been run. For the sake of comparison the same tests were doneon a prior-art hanger generaly like that in FIG. 5 of Seipp in PatentNo. 829,- 2134, but with the upper ends fashioned to provide verticalnailing'to the top of a beam. The hanger is considered one of thebe'ston the market. The most nearly comparable embodiment of applicantsinvention, the v hanger 70 of FIG. 7 was similarly tested. V

Vertical load capacity was tested each time by nailing two identicalhangers to 3 x 123. headers and supporting a 2'; 10' joist between them.In all instances eight- Prior-Art Hangers, Hangers of the Load in Pounds0.119 steel Present Iuventiom.

' r g I r 18 gauge steel G H I .T K L N o'rs deflection occurred asfollows: Lb

- s. 53 H J 53 I... 53 J 128 125 penny nails 1%" long were used. Loadwas applied through the center of the joist through a spherical bearingblock 7" in diameter, and deflection was measured with dial gaugesreading to 0.001" and mounted at each end of the joist. Conditions wereidentical except that the prior-art hanger was tested with joists 18"long, while the tests on the hanged 70 of the present invention weremade on joists 24 long. A prime point to note is that the prior-arthanger was made of Ms steel and Weighed 1.74 lbs. each, while thehangers 70 were made of much thinner 18-gauge steel plate and weighedonly about 0.65 lb. eachabout one-third as much. Yet, the presentinvention gave far superior results, as shown in the following table.

'TABLEI Deflections Under Vertical Loads of Joist Ends No readings weretaken at the places left blank.

While the results tabulated in Table I are impressive, the results ofthe torsional load tests are even more so.

Two sets of tests were run, one Where the hangers were fastened to ametal beam by welding, as in FIG. 12, and one where they were fastenedto a wooden beam, as in FIG. 8.- The former results are shown in TableII and the 'latterresultsin Table III. In all instances the torsionalforce was applied by twisting the outer end of a /2 from the bottom. I

TABLE II Torsional Moment Capacity Tests of Joist Hangers. De-

flection Measured /z" from Bottom. Hanger Welded to A" Steel Headers 9TABLE III Torsional Moment Capacity Tests of Joist Hangers. De-

flection Measured /2 from Bottom. Hanger Nailed to 3" x 12" Beam. NNails Between Hanger and J oist Prior-Art Hangers, Hangers of the 0.119steel Present Invention, Load in Pounds 18 gauge steel M N O P Q R FIGS.12 and 13 illustrate the use of the hangers 60 and 70 with metal I-beams90 instead of Wooden beams. In place of using nails to retain thehangers in position, welds 91 and 92 are shown. Since no reliance ismade on the strength of the welds to support the joists and since thesewelds are only for holding the hangers in position, there is no problemof welding technique involved. As shown heretofore in Table II, thewelded hangers are very effective.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, manychanges in construction and widely differing embodiments andapplications of the invention will sug gest themselves without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and thedescription herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be inany sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A one-piece joist hanger for supporting a horizontal joistperpendicular to a horizontal beam, comprising a single sheet-metalmember having means for securing it to a said beam and formed to providea vertical plate having an upper planar portion and a lower channelportion with sides perpendicular to said plate, said sides comprisingmarginal portions of said plate bent out therefrom, said plate having aportion intermediate said upper and lower portions with the sidemarginal portions curved along a twist from co-planar with said plate toperpendicular thereto, a lower end portion of said channel portionextending out horizontally and providing an imperforate bottom seat withsides connected thereto by an imperforate bend, said seat sides beingsecured directly to said channel sides to form a joist-receiving pocketat the lower end, said upper planar portion having a pair of tabs cutand bent out therefrom perpendicular to said upper planar portion, saidtabs providing a space between them substantially the same as thatprovided between the sides of said channel and serving to give lateralsupport to a said joist from the time of installation therein withoutblocking or toenailing, whereby a joist of substantially the width ofsaid channel can be supported by said pocket with its sides givensupport by the sides of said channel and said tabs, said plate providinga metal bearing between said joist and said beam, said tabs beingpositioned with the upper edge of one substantially above the upper edgeof the other and the upper edge of said other substantially above thelower edge of said one and with a supporting portion between themrunning diagonally along one of the cut edges of each said tab so thatconsiderable portions of said tabs are wider than half the distancebetween them, whereby during installation a joist is lifted just abovethe upper edge of said other tab and place against said one tab and thenlowered into place, guided between said tabs, whereby said tabs haveportions horizontally opposite each other to give a high point ofopposite lateral support and whereby said tabs are of substantial widthso that as a joist shrinks it will not shrink out from be tween saidtabs and is held between them for lateral stability while verticalsupport continues to be given by said pocket.

2. A building structure, including in combination a generally horizontalbeam; a joist hanger fastened to said beam and having a horizontalplanar central plate overlying the top of said beam and a pair ofdepending vertical side plates, bearing against the vertical sides ofsaid beam, one at each end of said central plate, each said side platehaving an upper planar portion, a lower channel portion formed by sidemargins of said side plate extending out perpendicular thereto, astrengthening portion intermediate said upper and lower portion wheresaid side margins twist out from co-planar with said side plate toperpendicular thereto, and a joist seat at the lower end, formed by ahorizontally bent-out lower end of said side plate secured to saidchannel portion, said upper planar portion having a pair of tabs out andbent out perpendicularly therefrom, said tabs when bent out providing aspace between them substantially the same as that provided between thesides of said channel and serving to give lateral support to a saidjoist from the time of installation therein without blocking ortoenailing; and a pair of joists, each having one end supported in saidseats and fastened to said hanger whereby the weight of said joists isborne by the hanger and transmitted to said beam therethrough, said tabsbeing positioned with the upper edge of one substantially above theupper edge of the other and the upper edge of said other substantiallyabove the lower edge of said one and with a supporting portion betweenthem running diagonally along one of the cut edges of each said tab sothat considerable portions of said tabs are wider than half the distancebetween them, whereby during installation a joist is lifted just abovethe upper edge of said other tab and placed against said one tab andthen lowered into place, guided between said tabs, whereby said tabshave portions horizontally opposite each other to give a high point ofopposite lateral support and whereby said tabs are of substantial widthso that as a joist shrinks it will not shrink out from between said tabsand is held between them for lateral stability while vertical supportcontinues to be given by said pocket.

3. A joist hanger for holding a pair of horizontal joists perpendicularto a horizontal beam, .comprising a single sheet-metal member formed toprovide a horizontal top plate adapted to rest on said beam and totransmit the full load of said hanger to the full thickness of saidbeam, and a pair of depending vertical Side plates, one at each end ofsaid top plate, each said side plate having an upper planar portion anda lower channel portion formed by side margins of said side plate beingbent out perpendicular thereto to confine the sides of a joisttherebetween, each said side plate also having a pair of integral tabscut and bent out from the central portion of said upper planar portionperpendicular thereto and spaced apart substantially the same distanceas the channel sides, for giving lateral support and alignment to a saidjoist, the lower end of each said side plate extending out horizontallyto provide a joist-receiving pocket upon which a said joist may sit andproviding the vertical support therefor, the forces thereagainst beingresolved through said vertical plates to said top plate, said tabs beingpositioned with the upper tab and then lowered into place, guidedbetween said tabs, whereby said tabs have portions horizontallyoppositeeach other to give a high point of opposite lateral support andwhereby said tabs are of substantial width so that as a joist shrinks itwill not shrink out from between said tabs and is held between them forlateral stability while vertical support continues to be given by said15 pocket. 7

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Tuteur-s. July 30, Eberhardt Feb. 23, Heughes Apr. 24-, Lanz Aug. 14, LindowDec. 24, Taylor July 9, Murphy May 5, Isakson Mar. 14, Hagedorn Jan. 19,Neil Sept. 13,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 15,

Austria May 10,

